Eastern White Barrow

The walk up to Eastern White Barrow isn't long, but it's steep enough that you'll notice your legs on the way back down. From South Brent, you're looking at a proper moorland ascent across Dartmoor, and the payoff is a Bronze Age burial mound sitting on open heath with genuinely impressive views across the high moor. On a clear day you can see for miles - that sense of being on top of something real, something ancient.

It's the kind of walk that appeals to history types and serious ramblers rather than casual strollers. Kids will manage it fine if they're used to hills, though there's no shelter up there, so wind can be brutal. Allow an hour each way including time to nose around the barrow itself. The archaeology is genuine - you're looking at a 4,000-year-old tomb - but there's nothing spectacular to see from a distance. Get close and the shape becomes clear enough.

If you're staying at Ashbourne Woods, just down the road towards South Brent, this makes a logical half-day excursion before heading back for a proper meal. Go when you've got weather on your side - the moor can be grim in drizzle and there's absolutely nothing there except the view. The walk itself is free, naturally. Bring water, proper footwear, and realistic expectations about how much time four kilometres of moorland actually takes when you're climbing.